Spinal Cord Injury

Actor Christopher Reeve, the star of four Superman movies, began a new phase of recovery from a virtually paralyzing spinal cord injury on Wednesday when he was moved to a rehabilitation hospital. Reeve, 42, was flown by helicopter to the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in West Orange, N.J., from the University of Virginia Medical Center. where he had been treated since breaking his neck in a fall from a horse May 27.

SUNRISE Haley Chura has participated in so many different types of races, she's lost count. Sunday morning however, she competed in a race like no other. Chura and 882 others ran in the inaugural Wings for Life World Run outside the BB&T Center. The global race, which spanned 34 different locations in 32 countries, was the first of its kind. It featured a simultaneous start time across the world, a moving finish line and one common goal: to raise funds and awareness for spinal cord injury research.

The Fort Lauderdale-based Paralyzed Veterans Association of Florida has given grants to a pair of Broward County organizations that work with handicapped people. Broward Homebound Program Inc. was awarded $1,500 and Handicapped Artist Painting Productions & You was awarded $500 by the veterans organization`s board of directors. The PVAF is part of the Washington-based Paralyzed Veterans of America, which works to better the lives of veterans who have a spinal cord injury or disease. For information about the PVAF, call 771-7822.

More than 270 supporters helped the nonprofit Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation raise $40,000 for research and treatment for paralysis and spinal cord injuries at the recent Light at the End of the Tunnel benefit at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood. The proceeds will be used to fund research and support programs for patients and family caregivers, said Alan T. Brown, who heads up the foundation's local efforts. "We believe in supporting today's care and tomorrow's cure," he said.

WEST PALM BEACH -- John I. Leonard High senior cornerback Gary Peters was in serious but stable condition at St. Mary`s Hospital Sunday, a hospital official said. Peters suffered a spinal cord injury while attempting to make a tackle in a 40-6 victory over Palm Beach Lakes Friday night at Forest Hill High. Peters, who was admitted to the St. Mary`s intensive care unit in critical condition, was paralyzed for 1 1/2 hours before regaining feeling. He was still in intensive care Sunday. Peters will undergo further testing today to determine the extent of the injury.

I recently read a letter to the editor from a woman suffering from emphysema, encouraging other walking people with disabled placards not to feel guilty. It was obvious to me that the woman needed a disabled placard. However, as someone with a spinal cord injury who has to have a disabled space to have enough room to get out my wheelchair, I do see a lot of abuse in the issuance of disabled placards. In many cases, physicians in Florida seem to believe that being simply elderly equals being disabled.

Local amateur actors will take to the stage to raise money for breast cancer and multiple sclerosis research and for the medical bills of a local student with a spinal cord injury. K.P. Productions presents Rags to Riches, a Broadway musical review featuring performances from Phantom of the Opera, Annie, Les Miserables, Oliver, Fiddler on the Roof and other shows. Proceeds from Saturday's 3 p.m. performance benefits the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, South Florida chapter. Sunday's 3 p.m. performance benefits the Matt Cousineau Fund and Sunday's 7 p.m. performance benefits the Susan B. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

A Broward County jury on Wednesday awarded a former Fort Lauderdale nurse $2.7 million in damages for a serious spinal cord injury that she suffered when she slipped and fell at a hospital, her lawyer said. Tamara Lin Grosso, 38, was left in severe pain and must walk with a cane, the result of falling on a wet floor at Hollywood Medical Center on June 14, 1995, according to the attorney, Julia Hager of Fort Lauderdale. Grosso has already undergone two surgeries and still faces a third.

Are we committed to four more years of being unable to conduct any meaningful research toward stem cell therapy? The use of stem cells can mean hope for people living with and those who may in the future develop debilitating diseases and injuries, like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease and spinal cord injury. The development of stem cells has been restricted by the Bush administration; despite its potential for treatment, President Bush's limit of exploration to 72 existing lines is not sufficient to advance stem cell research.

Actor Tommy Lee Jones says his polo game is "just fine." Fans of the sport can judge for themselves this weekend. Jones was in town Monday to promote the Buoniconti Fund's second annual Celebrity Polo Match and Gala set for Saturday at the International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington. The Oscar-winning actor and his wife, Dawn, both avid polo players, returned as hosts of the event this year. The fund-raiser benefits the Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis and features a celebrity polo match, including Jones and John Walsh, host of TV's America's Most Wanted, and an equestrian showcase with a special performance by famous Hollywood horse trainer Mario Luraschi.

He's just over four feet tall and bound to a wheelchair, but those who know Austin Reynolds say he's unstoppable — and needs to remain that way. Born with dwarfism, Reynolds, 18, never let his short stature keep him from living large -- or being a jokester. The Boca Raton High School senior chuckled as he recalled the time he told a young girl shocked by his height, "The potion worked!" Three years ago, Reynolds underwent surgery that left him paralyzed with a spinal cord injury.

Anthony Purcell will never forget that fateful day in February 2010 when, after diving into the water off Miami Beach, he landed on a sandbar. The accident left him paralyzed with a broken neck and two bruised vertebrae. Determined to beat the odds, Purcell began intense rehabilitation to get stronger and more independent, while at the same time drawing ever closer to his goal of walking again. As a result of his experience, Purcell and his mother, Micki, created Walking With Anthony, a nonprofit foundation to help give others in a similar position the same chance at recovery.

The Spinal Cord Injury Support Group of Broward is running its third annual golf tournament starting at 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday at the Woodmont Country Club, 7801 NW 80th Ave. in Tamarac. The annual fundraiser consists of gift bags, contests, 50/50 ball drop, silent raffles, and more. Green fees include 18-hole golf, range balls, golf carts, continental breakfast, and a sit-down lunch. For single players, the cost is $105. For a foursome, it's $400. Products and gift certificates are accepted for raffles.

Take a swing for a good cause this weekend. The Spinal Cord Injury Support Group Broward Chapter is hosting a golf tournament at 8 a.m. Saturday at Woodmont Country Club, 7801 NW 80th Ave., Tamarac. Green fees include 18 holes of golf, range balls, golf carts, continental breakfast, sit-down lunch and four-person scramble format with prizes for the top three teams. Price is $105 for a single and $400 for a foursome. Register online at http://www.SCISGgolf.com or send checks to Spinal Cord Injury Support Group, c/o Fran Wade, P.O. Box 452815, Sunrise FL, 33345.

The United States Lifesaving Association (USLA) Southeast Region brought its 5K run race competition event to Pompano Beach March 4. The series of competitive events are organized by Competition and Lifesaving Academy Director Jim McCrady, who is a lieutenant at Fort Lauderdale Beach and who also works the beach at Pompano. Events range from running, swimming, paddleboarding, surfboats, to surf skis, and serve the purpose of keeping these top notch professional athletes in shape and ready for lifesaving rescues.

Having full range of motion one day and no use of some of your limbs the next day is no easy task. For those starting a new life with a spinal cord injury, there is the Spinal Cord Injury Support Group. "You cannot imagine the transformation that occurs when they start getting involved in a group with the peer mentorship," Sue Krinsky said. "Those that are in a similar situation can help each other and really get them out of their depression. " Krinsky, a nurse, started the support group in 2008 with two founding members.

Anthony Purcell will never forget that fateful day in February 2010 when, after diving into the water off Miami Beach, he landed on a sandbar. The accident left him paralyzed with a broken neck and two bruised vertebrae. Determined to beat the odds, Purcell began intense rehabilitation to get stronger and more independent, while at the same time drawing ever closer to his goal of walking again. As a result of his experience, Purcell and his mother, Micki, created Walking With Anthony, a nonprofit foundation to help give others in a similar position the same chance at recovery.

Check out the drums. Former DJ Johnathan LaVarnway thought of selling them. But that was too much like giving up. And he isn't giving up. Ten months after a spinal cord injury put the popular West Palm Beach DJ in a wheelchair, LaVarnway, 27, is hard at work, getting his life back. An "incomplete quadriplegic," he has minimal movement in his legs. But he can bring his right arm up almost up to his shoulder. And he has some movement in his left arm. No, he can't play the drums, which he's done since age 11. But he can feed himself.

The traditional way to predict whether children can regain movement after spinal cord injuries may exclude a small subset of patients who could benefit from therapy, according to two studies presented by University of Florida researchers at the Society for Neuroscience meeting recently in San Diego. In one study, researchers present details of a child with incomplete spinal cord injury who continues to improve four years after recovering walking ability in a locomotor training program at UF, even though clinical assessment tools predicted he would never walk again.

Alex Lutin doesn't let his being in a wheelchair get in the way of driving a car. He's got a system, and in less than five minutes, he hops from his wheelchair over to the driver's seat of his Scion tC, disassembles the wheelchair, and is ready to drive off with a special customized hand control for the brake and accelerator. Lutin drives everywhere on his own, whether it's to work or as a speaker for the Darrell Gwynn Foundation. The Davie-based nonprofit uses volunteer speakers to address Broward high school students about spinal cord injuries.